Course Overview
The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) v4.0 course is your gateway to advancing your software testing career. This fully accredited programme provides a solid foundation in software testing principles, preparing you for the globally recognised ISTQB CTFL certification.
Tailored for professionals in the UK and beyond, it covers best practices aligned with modern methodologies, including Waterfall, Agile, DevOps, and Continuous Delivery.
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Course Highlights
- Duration: 3-day intensive training. (9am – 5pm)
- Format: Available in Virtual, Classroom and E-learning
- Online Pre-Course: Approximately four to five hours to complete
- Exam Simulator: Our simulator is designed to prepare you for success in the CTFL exam
- Content: Covers the latest ISTQB syllabus, exam preparation, and revision.
- Accreditation: Fully accredited by UKITB on behalf of ISTQB
- SFIAplus Level: Rated at level 3 by the BCS.
E-Learning Course
Our e-learning ISTQB Software Testing course includes:
- 12 months access to accredited online materials
- ISTQB® CTFL v4.0 exam (valid for 12 months)
- Exam simulator for practice
Why Choose ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) v4.0 Certification?
- Globally recognised qualification: Achieve the ISTQB CTFL certification, a benchmark in software testing excellence.
- Career Advancement: Enhance your prospects in the UK and international markets.
- Comprehensive Curriculum: Gain in-depth knowledge of software testing concepts and terminology.
- Versatile Application: Apply learned skills across multiple software development approaches.
Who Should Attend This Course?
This ISTQB Certification course is ideal for:
- Software testers and test analysts
- Test engineers and consultants
- Test leads and managers
- User acceptance testers
- Software developers
- Project and quality managers
- IT directors and management consultants
About ISTQB and the Certified Tester Scheme
ISTQB® (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) established the globally recognized Certified Tester scheme to:
- Provide internationally acknowledged professional qualifications
- Enable software companies to hire and train certified testers
- Facilitate global understanding and comparison of testing skills
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Entry Requirements
Important note regarding pre-course
There is mandatory online pre-course work that must be undertaken prior to attending this course. It is expected that it will take approximately four to five hours to complete. You will be sent full instructions with a link to the online pre course three weeks prior to course commencement.
On arrival at the course candidates should have read the provided Syllabus in preparation for the course. The course is intensive and those delegates who have prepared achieve a higher exam success rate.
CTFL Exam
To qualify as an internationally recognised Certified Foundation Level Tester and be issued with an ISTQB® Foundation Level Certificate, delegates must successfully pass the exam:
- The examination consists of a one-hour exam with 40 multiple choice questions.
- It will be a ‘closed book’ examination i.e. no notes or books will be allowed into the examination room.
- Duration of 60 minutes (or 75 minutes for candidates taking examinations that are not in their native language)
- The pass mark is 65% (26 out of 40).
Learning Objectives
The Business Outcomes expected of a candidate who has achieved the new Foundation Level certification are as follows:
- Understand what testing is and why it is beneficial
- Understand fundamental concepts of software testing
- Identify the test approach and activities to be implemented depending on the context of testing
- Assess and improve the quality of documentation
- Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of testing
- Align the test process with the software development lifecycle
- Understand test management principles
- Write and communicate clear and understandable defect reports
- Understand the factors that influence the priorities and efforts related to testing
- Work as part of a cross-functional team
- Know risks and benefits related to test automation
- Identify essential skills required for testing
- Understand the impact of risk on testing
- Effectively report on test progress and quality
ISTQB Foundation Level Syllabus
- Fundamentals of Testing
- Testing Throughout the Software Development Lifecycle
- Static Testing
- Test Analysis and Design
- Managing the Test Activities
- Test Tools
E-Learning – Key Points
- Fundamentals of testing
- Test activites, testware and roles
- Essential skills and good practices
- Testing in context of software development lifecycles
- Test levels, test types and maintenance testing
- Static testing basics
- Feedback and review process
- Test techniques overview
- Black box testing
- White box testing
- Experienced based testing
- Collaboration-based test approaches
- Test planning
- Risk Management
- Test monitoring, control and completion
- Configuration and defect management
- Test tools
- Exam hints and tips
Next steps/Follow on courses
The Certified Tester Foundation Level certification is the prerequisite to the other modules within the Certified Tester Scheme.
The “Core” stream modules are valid for any technology/ methodology/ application domain and build on the Foundation Level:
- Advanced Test Manager
- Advanced Test Analyst
- Advanced Technical Test Analyst
The “Agile” stream focuses on testing practices specifically for the Agile methodology:
- Advanced Agile Technical Tester
The “Specialist” stream provides a deep dive into areas which may be based on quality characteristics, specific test approaches and test activities, or which cluster testing know-how for certain industry domains:
- Acceptance Testing
- AI Testing
- Mobile Application Testing
- Model-Based Tester
- Security Tester
- Test Automation Engineer
Luke Jones| Software Engineer|Capgemini –
Content was well presented with clear and concise explanations of the topics. Past papers and home exercises were provided for revision. Trainer adept and answering questions + giving detailed breakdowns of past paper example where requested.
Lewis Hay| Software engineer|Capgemini –
The course was delivered well, the short exercises and test exam papers were particularly helpful in cementing the knowledge. Thanks.
Fayez Khan| Software Engineer Lead|Capgemini –
Lots of useful content with worked examples I found very helpful.
Ryan Taylor-Glossop| Software Developer|CapGemini –
Trainer was great, however I struggle to learn from lectures and generally learn better with a more hands on/exercise based approach.
Yumi Bagge| Senior SDET|Diffblue –
The course was useful in that it gave me confidence that what I have been doing is correct. Also, it helped to categorize (or put a name to) the practices I’m doing. There are many useful testing tips for the exams.
I found mock exams quite difficult and tricky (very wordy). I can see the effort to incorporate traditional and modern SDLCs, and there are many things in common but I’ve been practicing agile for many years, so I would appreciate if the foundation was also available for agile.
Richard Ellis-Jones| Test Manager|Red Bee Media –
I found the course interesting, entertaining and above all informative. The course had 6 people attending which was a great size. Karen knew her subject and was able to explain complicated idea’s and answered all our questions. She kept it light and I enjoyed every day on the course. I learnt loads.
Stacey Hampson| Tech Trainer|Caramels & Ransford –
Coming from a background with no testing experience I found this course to be a bit more advanced than the foundation level it was stated. I thought we would be being taught on how to create test scripts/suites and how to run tests.
Alan Hillard| Senior Software Tester|MASS –
Aspects of the course are at odds with my 25+ years of testing (naming conventions etc). As an introduction to testing this would be good. I would use the analogy of a long time driver sitting a driving test lol.
Daniel Smith| Junior Test Engineer|UCAS –
I enjoyed the course – felt very intensive as the syllabus is very full. Trainer gave great insights and personal stories from her time as a tester. Slides felt overly busy though, hard to consume all the information fully when there are a hundred and one things being shown at one time. So a simplified slide deck would be personally preferred.
Homework and End of Exercise activities were also good – only problem is that the questions in the mock papers are dubbed ‘harder’ than the actual exam. This isnt necessarily bad thing as it prepares you fully for the worst case scenario – however having a fairer mix of questions set would be an improvement.
Melissa Arneau| Test Analyst|Miller Insurance Services LLP –
The course was good, interesting to build upon existing knowledge; however it can be lacking in crucial information for absolute beginners who have never worked in testing or even in IT altogether.
There should also be additional entry information about test automation.
Yelyzaveta Kitchenko| QA Engineer|Causeway –
The course, led by Richard, was informative and well-structured, offering a thorough understanding of software testing principles. Richard’s expertise made complex topics accessible. I’d appreciate more focus on ISTQB exam preparation, including some exam strategies. This addition would make the course more comprehensive for those aiming to get certified.
emma brown| Test Lead|Energia –
a lot of content to cover within the time and confusing language in the test samples
Alice Helm| Foundation Business System Analyst|Allianz Insurance Plc –
Richard was very clear in his explanations, and always took the time to answer questions. The course packs a lot of information into a short space of time, so I feel could do with being one day longer, with more opportunity to go through sample questions with the trainer, as I found that most often it was the wording of the question rather than the content that was tripping people up.
Alexandra Laczo| Test Analyst|Hotel Chocolat –
Really enjoyed the course, it’s been very useful. Richard was a great trainer, very knowledgeable and helpful.
I think there was a bit too much material for the 3 days, we had to really move with the course to finish on time.
Alastair Pott| QA Engineer|Capital on Tap –
Excellent, well paced and structured. Richard delivered what could easily have been quite dry topics with enthusiasm and a clear deep understanding of the subject matter that kept me engaged throughout.
Hamzah Mahmood| Software Test Analyst|Capgemini –
We worked through the material at a good pace and were offered clarity (by our kind trainer) on any areas of confusion.
Liam Scott| Software Test and Automation Engineer|Naim Audio –
The course was delivered in a very professional manner and Richard’s explanations were very easy to understand.
Subhan Rehman| Test Analyst|Capgemini –
Helpful, informative and in depth. Great teacher.
Ishita Chauhan| Scrum Master|McLaren –
All good
Thomas Skaife| QA tester|Capital on Tap –
Great course explained well